


For Those of Great Ambition

by SuttonEmily



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-15
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 18:34:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 16,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23661646
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SuttonEmily/pseuds/SuttonEmily
Summary: Althea Rosier is headed for her 6th year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry with her best friends Terrence Higgs and Lucian Bole. This story will follow my OC as she finishes her schooling and tries to find love even with the looming presence of Voldemort's return.
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! This is my first story and I’m just running with an idea I had during quarantine so please let me know what you think! I would love to hear any feedback you have.  
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of J.K. Rowling’s characters or storylines, just whatever nonsense I have managed to dream up.

I hear a whistle blow signifying that it is time to say goodbye to my parents and board the Hogwarts Express to set off to my sixth year of school. My mother is straightening my brother's tie as he looks around for his friends, eager to get away to what will be his final year at Hogwarts. 

My father is yet again lecturing me on the importance of maintaining a high grade average in the upcoming year if I ever hope to one day make something of myself. This has been a common occurrence over the summer after the family owl, Midas, showed up with my grades from fifth year revealing that I received only seven O’s, one less than Elias received in his fifth year. 

My father doesn’t often compare my brother and I, so long as we are both excelling in our respective endeavors, but something was different this summer. Both my brother and I were named for some of the most respectable witches and wizards in our family line. Elias Cassian Rosier for my mother’s uncle and my father’s grandfather, both of whom were well respected members of the Wizengamot throughout their careers. With my brother’s natural charisma, leadership, and dueling skills he is well on the way to following in their footsteps. I on the other hand was named Althea Minette for my father’s distant great great aunts who were women of high society in Paris. My father’s hopes that I might turn out like them are looking quite slim as I spend most of my time talking my way out of a fight and playing as the only female member of the Slytherin quidditch team.

With a final kiss on the cheek from both parents my brother and I race towards the shining red train. We head down the length of the train to the compartments generally claimed by the Slytherin students. We first ran into Ella Wilkins, my brother’s girlfriend. They’ve been dating for a couple years now and I have never met someone more well suited for my brother. His girlfriends in the past had all been daft bimbos who reminded me of snakes being charmed. Ella on the other hand was quick-witted and sharp, she would never just sit and nod along with whatever Elias was saying and I admired that about her. There are very few people at Hogwarts who are able to go toe to toe with my brother.   
  
I let the two love-birds catch up as I carried on down to the carriage that I knew my friends must be in as at that exact moment Lucian Bole and Terrence Higgs burst out into the hallway, Terrence having Lucian in a headlock. 

“Terrence I swear to god if you hurt my beater partner before we beat Gryffindor this year you’ll wake up with flobberworms in your bed,” I say as I push past them into the small room. I see two other students sitting down, Adrien Pucey, one of the Slytherin chasers in the year below us, and one of the Carrow twins, who are in our year, I’m not sure which one because I can’t be bothered to learn to tell them apart. 

“Don’t worry I want to see Gryffindor crushed into the dust of the pitch just as much as you do but when the season is over I’m making no promises,” Terrence lets Lucian up and takes a seat across from me. Lucian settles into his regular spot next to me and starts a long winded story about the summer he spent with family in France. Terrence and Lucian have been my best friends since day one at Hogwarts. We met after getting put into the same boat to cross the lake and have been inseparable since. The three of us all joined the Quidditch team in our fourth year but after Terrence heard he was getting replaced with Malfoy last year I wasn’t sure how it would affect our friendship. So far he seems pretty ok with the fact that Lucian and I are still playing but I know it will hurt his pride to see a third year playing instead of him. I’m quite lucky to have Terrance and Lucian though as the girls in my year are a disaster to get along with. The Carrow twins, Hestia and Flora, are vindictive and mean and are a discredit to our house as a whole. Whereas Imogen Stratton, the other girl who shares our dorm room, is as bland as a cardboard box.  
______________________________________________________________________

The train ride itself was rather uneventful until the trolley lady arrived at our carriage. Our group bought enough candy to feed the whole train and had started to dig in when Marcus Flint, the head captain of the quidditch team came roaring into the room.

“Bole! Rosier! Where have you been? Team meeting was supposed to start 15 minutes ago but I had to track you idiots down so now we’re not going to get through all the plays before we reach Hogwarts. Thanks to you the whole team gets to start practice at 6 am tomorrow instead of 7am.” I groan and look around the cabin, I hadn’t even noticed that Pucey had left to head to the meeting. Lucian and I grab some candy for the road and Flint marches us down to the furthest cabin on the train where the rest of the team was waiting. I look and see Malfoy, Pucey, our keeper Bletchley, and our other chaser Montague all glaring as Lucian and I sit down. I hear Bletchley muttering under his breath about how pissed off he is about having to get up early tomorrow but I quickly shut him up with a cold stare. As much as the guys in Slytherin can be sexist jerks sometimes I have proven myself to be not only one of the better players on the team but also someone you don’t want to get on the bad side of. 

At some point the train starts to slow down eventually coming to a stop. I look around at the quidditch team who all have equally as confused looks on their faces. Flint stands up and pops his head out of the carriage door, “must be something wrong with the train,” he says finally after seeing that everyone else on the train has no idea what’s going on either. At that moment a chill goes down my spine and frost starts creeping its way up the window like vines growing up a wall. I inch closer to Lucian and he puts his arm around me as I start to shiver. I start to see the puffs of the breath of the people in the carriage as a dark mist comes creeping by the window. A shadowy figure can be seen through the glass pane and a skeletal hand presses itself against the window. I feel like my stomach has dropped out of my body and the breath has been sucked from my lungs. Everyone in the room sits frozen for what seems like ages until the figure moves on. Even then it takes a few minutes before anyone says anything. Pucey and Bletchley awkwardly cough as they split up from where they had huddled in the far corner of their seat, and Malfoy pokes out from behind Flint’s back. We all avoid eye contact and sit in silence until Malfoy’s henchmen come running in talking about rumors that Harry Potter passed out on the train, he starts grinning from ear to ear as if he just hadn’t been clutching Flint like he was his mommy. I roll my eyes at Lucian and he laughs in response.   
_________________________________________________________________

The first day of school feast is always one of the best meals of the year. Don’t get me wrong I grew up surrounded by some of the best food money could buy but something about being surrounded by the chattering of hundreds of other students and having over forty dishes to choose from really hits differently. The sorting takes place and the kids this year are especially small or maybe the growth spurt I went through this summer is really making a difference. Terrence steals some extra sweets from the table as our group makes the trek down to the Slytherin common room.

One of my favorite things about the Slytherin common room is how misleading it is. It is sneaky and cunning, a true home for the students who have been sorted here. Walking through the dungeons it is unimpressive and somewhat bleak. The common room itself is hidden in a blank wall that you would walk right past if you didn’t know what you were looking for but very faintly on a brick in the center of the wall at just about eye level is a carving of a snake. One of the prefects says the password for this term is ‘boom slang’ and the wall opens up into a grand room that is doused in a soft emerald green light. The room smells of rich leather chairs, mahogany shelves, and old books. The room itself doesn’t entirely make sense but hey that’s magic for you. Most of the walls and ceiling are made of glass giving a view into the Black Lake outside and giving off a calming, peaceful ambience. The room has grand staircases, intricate statues, and just gives off an aura of power and wealth. I take a deep breath in and head to my favorite armchair that is hidden away underneath the stairwell but is still right beside a large window, my friends following along behind me.

The group of us stays up long into the night retailing summer adventures, discussing plans for the year, and just goofing around. I end up dozing off eventually and get shaken awake a little while later by Lucian. My long blonde hair has fallen across my face and I can feel the strain in my neck from leaning against his shoulder. As I head up to bed I can’t help but be excited for the year ahead.


	2. Chapter 2

My alarm goes off much too early for how late I was up last night, I am already regretting not going to bed as soon as we got back from the feast. I can hear the Carrow twin, in the bed next to me start to rustle behind her curtains so I let my alarm ring a few extra times just for good measure. I hear a soft meow and feel the jarring thump of my cat hopping up onto my bed. I have had Broadmoor for 6 years now, he was a gift from my mother when I got into Hogwarts. He is a large breed of cat and is extremely fluffy. He is also the laziest cat I have ever met. I named him after my favorite beater partners Karl and Kevin Broadmoor who played on the best team in the league, the Falmouth Falcons. The grey and white Falcons banner can be seen proudly hung above my bed. I threw my quidditch gear into a bag and then headed down to the pitch to set up my locker and get ready for practice. I met Lucian in the common room, his brown hair particularly disheveled this morning. He is facing away from me deep in thought so I sneak up behind him and jump onto his back. He doesn’t flinch and catches me easily.   
  
“Ya know if you want to sneak up on someone you should really work on not breathing so loudly.”

“Hey! I don’t breathe that loudly!” 

“Loud enough that I probably didn’t need to set my alarm this morning to wake up. I didn’t sleep all night because all I could hear was your snoring.” I jump down from his back and shove my bag into his hands.

“Just for that you can carry my stuff down to the pitch.”

Practice was grueling today. Flint was particularly angry at Lucian and I which was evident by the many extra laps he assigned us. After a quick shower in the locker rooms I was ready to head up to the Great Hall for breakfast. Flint lectured us the whole way there about the intense training schedule he has thought up for this year, and how this year we need to win the Quidditch Cup because it would have been ours if not for the cancellation last year.

As we arrive at the great hall Snape is walking up the length of the Slytherin table passing out schedules. Based on my marks from my O.W.L.s I was eligible to move forward in all of my classes but I chose to drop History of Magic and astronomy and stick with seven classes instead. I have still yet to figure out what I want to do with my life so I decided to cover all my bases and take transfiguration, potions, herbology, arithmancy, ancient runes, defense against the dark arts, and charms. Charms is by far my favorite class just because there is a spell for anything that can make your life easier. I compare my schedule to Lucian’s and see that we have all of our classes together except arithmancy and ancient runes.   
Terrence comes strolling into the Great Hall, stopping to grab his schedule before lounging on the bench beside me as if it were his bed. I trade him a piece of toast for his schedule and see that he’s dropped out of all but four classes. He can tell I disapprove by the look I give him.

“Hey my dad can guarantee me a job at the Ministry when I graduate as long as I pass with E’s so I figured why waste my time? Besides I’ve got better things to do this year.”

“Better things such as Angelina Johnson?” I say as I notice his stare drift across the great hall to the Gryffindor table where the pretty chaser girl is sitting with her friends. “As if she would give you the time of day.”

“You underestimate my charm Thea, but no she’s a little too hot-headed for my taste. I’ve set my sights on Beatrice Haywood.”

“The short one from Hufflepuff? She is always passing notes back and forth in class. It's utterly distracting.”

“You’re just mad that she has more friends than you Thea.”

“What do I need friends for when I have you and Lucian to terrorize?” I give him a playful shove and turn back to my cereal. 

After a while Lucian knocks Terrence’s leg from the bench and stands up, “better head to transfiguration, don’t want McGonagall on our ass this early in the semester.”

It’s not until the third time slot that I finally have my free period. I race down to the dungeons and head to the furthest door past the potions classroom. I turn into the room and see Elias standing alongside his best friend Niles Hanley on the raised platform giving a speech to some first years about the Slytherin dueling club. I go sit down by Ella in the corner while they finish up their obligatory introduction speech. She started talking but I was only half paying attention because the candle-light was reflecting the caramel specks in Niles’ deep brown eyes. I have compared my brother to a snake charmer in the past and it is a decent enough analogy, but if my brother can charm snakes, Niles can charm everyone else. 

The two of them are the perfect Slytherins, like suns shining bright and drawing everything around them into their orbit. I remember I would run around after them when I was younger trying to catch some of the light that shone so brightly off them. It took me years to finally understand that I would never be like them. Elias, and Niles alike, were so much like my mother, she took command of any room she walked into and always managed to make things work in her favor. I on the other hand was more like my father. He has been working behind the scenes his whole life, influencing, manipulating outcomes, and slowly working his way up the ranks. I, like him, prefer to listen and watch from the shadows, striking only when the moment is perfect. Despite our differences I have been in love with Niles for forever, and who could blame me with his lopsided smirk and unwavering stare. I hate to admit it but I spend entirely too much time in this room asking him to help me perfect my secretly pretty good wand work. 

“Thea? Are you there?” Suddenly Ella’s hand is waving in front of my face and I’m dragged out of my daydream. 

“Huh? Sorry what were you saying?” 

“I was just wondering if things had been weird around your house lately, Elias has been acting stranger than usual for the past couple weeks.”

“Nothing I can think of; I can chat with him if you’d like.”

“No it’s probably nothing, just nerves about our last year.” At that moment Elias jumps down from the stage and heads towards where we are sitting, the speech clearly over. He nods in greeting at me then pulls Ella away out of the room. I walk over to where Niles is showing off to some first years, he turns to greet me and like always I catch myself staring at just how sharp his jaw is, as if it could cut you if you look for too long.

“Fancy seeing you here. You know most of these kids just had their first classes today so the shocked looks on their face is just naivety not due to any actual skills of yours.”

“Thea, you wound me,” he says and uses his wand to mimic being stabbed in the heart, “if I remember correctly it was my skills that helped you to perfect that silencing charm last year.” This is a lie but I don’t need to let him know that father has been making me practice above my year since I first came to Hogwarts, I’m already well into my way of learning non-verbal and wandless magic. “Let’s see if you’ve been practicing.” 

“Maybe another time I promised Lucian and Terrence that I would meet them for lunch 10 minutes ago,” I say as I turn to grab my bag. 

“Next time then,” I feel him put his hand on my shoulder and try not to hold my breath as he lets it linger there for a second too long. “I know you’re going to be especially busy with quidditch this year but try not to forget about me, I missed our little training sessions.” I shoot him a wink and then rush back up the steps towards the great hall breathing heavily.


	3. Chapter 3

It’s only getting to the end of September and I’m already feeling swamped. Between classes with papers every week, a strict quidditch training regiment, and trying to spend time with friends I haven’t taken a single moment to myself. Terrence, Lucian and I have taken over a rather large table in the library trying to finish our papers that are due tomorrow. With us is Theodore Nott who has decided to glue himself to Lucian’s hip. Lucian is likely to be quidditch captain next year so Theodore has been kissing up trying to secure a spot already. Along with him is Daphne Greengrass who spends all of her time giggling at whatever the boys say and filling whatever silence there might have been with mindless chatter. 

“Alright and….. Done. Perfect.” Terrence finishes a sentence with a flourish and I look over to his parchment seeing some of the largest lettering that I’ve seen him attempt to hand-in in a vain attempt to fool our professors into giving him an acceptable grade considering it technically fits the 2-foot scroll length minimum. “I’m headed back to the common room, got to get my beauty rest in.” He starts to pack up his belongings and suddenly Daphne does the same.

“Yeah I’m pretty tired as well I’ll walk with you,” she says staring for entirely too long at Terrence. Theodore looks back and forth between Daphne and Lucian before he must have decided that a pretty girl is a better bet than the boy working intently beside me and begins to pack his things up as well. The trio departs and I finally have the peace and quiet I needed to write.

“How much more do you have left to write?” I ask turning towards my friend. He doesn’t look up from his paper. He is clearly lost in thought as he rubs his fingers in circles on the side of his head. I crumble up some spare parchment and throw it at him, it hits him right on the nose as his head jerks up and he blinks in surprise. “Your paper? How much more do you have to write?” I ask again. 

“I’m just finishing up. You?” 

“I have half a foot left, once you finish up don’t bother sticking around to wait for me I’m going to be here for a while.”

“Eh I don’t mind better than listening to Terrence talk about his girl of the week and how she’s ‘the one’ this time.”

“He always falls in love with these girls so quickly and comes crying to us expecting us to feel sorry for him when we warn him every time. I really don’t get it.”

“Hey the man loves to love there’s nothing wrong with that as long as I don’t have to hear about it anymore.’”

“I’ve found that if you tell him he’s an ugly git who will die alone that usually shuts him up really quick,” I laugh as I say this because I have genuinely seen this work on him before. He acts tough on the outside but deep down he’s a real softy.

“You’re a menace, it’s a surprise we’re still friends with you.” I chuck another scrap of parchment at him but this time he’s waiting for it and deflects it back to me. We both laugh as the paper bounces off the top of my head and onto the floor. I start to work on my paper again and Lucian charms some of the scrap parchment into paper airplanes that fly around us. 

The walk down to the dungeons is long and since we are out past curfew we have to be careful not to run into any prefects or worse Filch and Mrs. Norris. We end up walking by the kitchens and I make Lucian stop in with me to get some pumpkin pasties and a cup of tea. We missed the first half of supper because quidditch ran late so I’m starving and I know he probably is too.   
In the kitchen there are hundreds of house elves rushing around carrying dishes still stacked with food. The kitchens are a huge stone room with some of the highest ceiling in Hogwarts and a giant fireplace that give the whole place a cozy feel, definitely a room built by the Hufflepuff founder. Seeing all the house elves gives me a jolt of home-sickness, even after all these years Hogwarts can still feel like this otherworldly place that I don’t quite belong in. I am reminded of my house elf Bonkey. She is such a sweetheart and always seems to know exactly what I need even when I don’t. The amount of times I will go up to my room after a long day and find a hot cup of tea waiting on my bedside table is more than I can count. We grab a few pastries from a passing elf while another runs up with our favorite tea. It seems we’re here often enough for them to know what we’re looking for.  
Prizes in hand we finally get to the common room and as Lucian heads towards the dorms I head towards my armchair. 

“What’re you doing, your bed is this way,” he says, using the pumpkin pastie sitting in his teeth to point. 

“I know I just want to sit out and enjoy my tea without the Carrows, giving me a hard time for having my light on.” 

“Ok well try to get some rest we’ve got our game against Gryffindor tomorrow night.” I wave him off and sit down. After a moment I look over my shoulder and see him looking at me from across the room. I make a face at him and he shakes his head before turning away down the hall towards his dorm. On the table beside my chair is the Daily Prophet from today, splashed across the front page is story after story about Sirius Black. This whole thing has been a big pain in the ass this year. I can’t even walk to the quidditch pitch without feeling empty inside. In all honesty who cares about Harry Potter, people treat him like he’s this big hero when from what I’ve heard he’s just gotten lucky a few times in the past. 

A few minutes’ pass when I hear someone creeping across the common room floor. Glancing over I see a girl who must be a first year by the look of her clutching a letter to her chest. She must not notice me sitting in the darkened corner because after her eyes dart across the room giving it a quick once over she begins to sniffle. Unsure what to do and not wanting to intrude on this obviously private moment I clear my throat and let my mug clatter unceremoniously to the table beside me. Her head jerks up to stare at me.

“Didn’t realize anyone was in here, I just got a letter from my parents but I’ll move along,” she turns her head, wiping her tears in the hopes that I wouldn’t see them, I can see her lip quiver when she says the word parents.

“It’s alright I should be heading to bed anyways,” As I pass by her I look down at my plate of pumpkin pasties and set the last few onto the table beside her. “You know I’ve found that the fireplace is a good place to chuck unwanted letters.”

“It’s just my whole life my parents have talked about whether my brothers and I would be Gryffindors or Ravenclaws, and when my brothers went to Ravenclaw my father talked about how I was his only hope now, but when I was being sorted and the hat offered me Slytherin I took it. And the worst thing is I don’t regret it. This is the first letter they’ve sent me and I don’t want to open it. I want to live for a little while longer in a world where they are proud of me.”

I stop to think for a minute because I don’t know what to say to this young girl. My parents were overjoyed when I got into Slytherin but there was really no doubt about where I would end up. 

“To be a Slytherin is to put yourself in the best position to achieve what you want to achieve, it seems to me that you are a true Slytherin at heart and if you don’t think your parents will see that then I think it’s better to toss that letter in the fire right now, but from what I know of Slytherins we are great judges of character and won’t put our trust in anyone who doesn’t deserve it. Do you think that your parents would ever be upset with you finally admitting to yourself who you truly are? But I’ll leave you to yourself now. For future reference the armchairs under the stairwells are fairly secluded and are the best place to see a mermaid if they happen to swim by.” With that I turned towards my room. I went to sleep that night thinking about whether I would have been able to defy the wishes of my parents if they had been different from my own. 


	4. Chapter 4

It’s raining and the wind is whipping the thick tarp that makes up the walls of the quidditch change rooms. Playing quidditch is one of the biggest thrills in life; the wind whizzing by your ears as you dive towards the ground, the satisfying thump of the bludger as the bat connects with it, the roaring cheers of the crowd from below. Playing quidditch in the rain is no different as long as you know a decent spell to keep your fingers warm, if anything it only adds to the excitement. Flint is giving a less than inspiring pre-match talk while Lucian and I go through our game plan. Minutes later we are all lined up at the bottom of the pitch. I hear the Gryffindor team’s names being called out by the announcer very enthusiastically, then with a much less animated voice I hear him start to call out our team’s names. Finally, he gets to Rosier and I leap from the ground speeding into the air. The rain feels cold and stings as it hits my cheeks but I don’t care. I love the feeling in the pit of my stomach that comes along with being hundreds of feet in the air. 

I see Flint and Wood shake hands below me and across the field is one of the Weasley twins that play beater for the Gryffindor team. They are decent competitors but their one weakness is that they don’t work as well together as Lucian and I do. They are always trying to outplay one another whereas Lucian and I work as a team. Madam Hooch tosses the quaffle up and everything seems to pause for a second as it hovers in the air before the chasers dart forward and everything speeds up again.   
We are scoring goal after goal today, everyone is working like a well-oiled machine. Flint’s insistence on repeating the same drills for hours has really paid off. The game is intense and a lot of fouls are being called. At one point Lucian clubs one of the Gryffindor chasers and tries to tell Madam Hooch that he thought she was a bludger. I’ll have to give him crap for that later, we’re a better team overall and don’t need to resort to cheating to win. 

We are up 60-0 when things take a turn. I can see that Malfoy and Potter are after the snitch but Lucian is on snitch duty at the moment so I hit the bludger flying by me towards one of the Gryffindor chasers headed down to our hoops. I feel a chill at the nape of my neck, looking over my shoulder I see hundreds of dementors roaming around the pitch. The two seekers begin to climb high into the air in an attempt to chase after the snitch until they are both out of sight. A gasp from the crowd makes me turn again towards the sky, to see a dark shape plummeting towards the ground. A spell from Dumbledore slows down the shape enough for me to make out the red and gold of the Gryffindor robes. I breathe a sigh of relief when a second later Malfoy comes flying down proudly displaying the golden snitch in his hand. He flies above the Slytherin stands a few times before we all land back onto the ground. We all rush in cheering and some of the guys lift the third year onto their shoulders carrying him all the way up to the castle. 

A few of the upper years students raided the kitchens and by the time I had showered and entered the common room the party was in full swing. Everyone was cheering and once again Malfoy had somehow ended up one someone's shoulders. It’s not like he had only managed to get the snitch because Potter fell off his broom or anything. I made my way over to the drink table and grabbed a butterbeer. The crowd is thick and sweaty so I skirt the outer edge making my way to an isolated corner. I hate being the center of a crowd instead preferring to sit and watch. You learn so much more about people this way, for example I can see Elias and Niles standing right in the center of a large group of people telling some enthralling story with animated hand motions and a few shouts. I see Pansy Parkinson trailing after Malfoy, and Malfoy just beaming, grinning ear to ear obviously very pleased with himself. 

I spotted Terrence and Pucey in the far corner of the room laughing loudly at Montague mimicking Wood throwing his broom and storming off the field earlier. I have to dodge through a few groups of students on my way over to them until finally I am right behind Terrence. I sneak up and grab him from behind, he jumps, showering Montague with his drink. We continue to celebrate far into the night and I’m deep into a conversation about the best quidditch teams in the league with Ella and Daphne when I feel someone come up behind me. 

“Great game today,” I turn and see Niles leaning over the back of my chair casually sipping at his butterbeer. “They should be cheering for you instead of that spoiled prat.”

“Lucian and I worked as a team, and besides everyone had a great game today.” I deflect his comment. The last thing I needed was Daphne running off to Malfoy telling him that I thought I was the best in the game today. Not that I don’t agree with Niles, but I don’t need Malfoy whining to Flint about it. He moves to sit down beside me and I inch over on the already crowded couch. I can feel his body pressed right up against mine. The debate about quidditch teams resumes as Elias joins us. Our family has been supporters of the Falcons for years while the others support the likes of the Wasps and the Arrows. The argument gets heated and Niles starts to get louder trying to change our minds with years old statistics. At some point his arm gets thrown around me and it feels so natural in the moment that I lean into him. Ella shoots me a wink and I turn away blushing. 

The party starts to wind down. I look around the room and see just a few stragglers left. Elias and Niles had left a while ago to do some work for the dueling club and Ella had gone to bed not long after. I see Lucian in the corner talking to one of the Carrows but decide against going over to talk to him. I don’t think I have the mental strength to put up with her incessant chatter. Instead I head over to where Terrence is sitting with Flint by the fireplace. He’s sprawled out on one of the chairs and I curl up next to him resting my head on his lap. He absentmindedly starts playing with my hair and my eyes start to grow heavy. 

“Hey great job today by the way,” he says turning my head to look up towards him.

“You came? You know Lucian and I wouldn’t have been offended if you hadn’t. Don’t feel like you need to come just because of us. I know you wish you had been playing instead.”

“Well obviously it was a bit of a blow to my pride, especially since I would have flow circles around that Potter kid unlike Malfoy, but you really don’t think much of me if you think that I would miss coming to see you guys play.”

“Look at you being all mature, I’m impressed. I don’t think I’d be as grown up about this as you.”

“I know I know I’m a goddamn saint.”

Flint rouses from the spot where he had been dozing off. “When you buy the whole team new Nimbus 2001’s I’ll give you your spot back happily but until then you best get your cheerleading outfit ready.” 

Terrence gives him a kick in the side and his head bobs as he drifts off again. We sit there just listening to the fire crackle and the low murmur of muffled voices behind us until we fall asleep.  
_____________________________________________________________________

I woke up the next morning still on the couch with Terrence, Flint splayed out on the floor in front of the fireplace. There’s a few other Slytherins strewn across the common room as well. I look up at Terrence, who is snoring softly, and shake him awake. 

“Come on sleeping beauty we’ve got to get to class soon.” He grumbles, rubbing his eyes. I throw a cushion at Flint to wake him up as well before heading to my room to grab my bag. 

In my room Broadmoor is curled up on my bed sleeping soundly, Imogen is tearing apart her luggage looking for something, and the twins are fighting over the bathroom. I start to gather my stuff for the day when I overhear a conversation the Carrows are having.

“So Hestia, how was your talk with Lucian last night?” 

“Oh Flora he’s so sweet, he’s quiet and shy and the moment we locked eyes across the party I knew immediately that there was a spark. I was waiting all night for him to kiss me but he must have just been trying to muster up the courage. He’s so dreamy I think I’m going to sit with him at supper tonight.” 

I scoff at this because Lucian is a lot of things but shy is not one of them. He is quiet but only because he doesn’t feel the need to fill the silence with small talk, one of my favorite things about him. The thought of Hestia and Lucian together is absolutely hilarious; Lucian would never date someone as uninspired as her. They continue to gossip but I no longer care to listen so I grab my wand and quills, shove them in my bag, and switch my sweater for a clean uniform before heading off to defense against the dark arts.


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I don’t own any Harry Potter stuff just the mixed up story I’m trying to jam into it.  
I arrive just on time for class and sneak into my regular seat at the back beside Terrence and Lucian just as Professor Lupin starts his lecture for the day. 

“I know most of you attended the Gryffindor versus Slytherin quidditch game yesterday and as most of you know there was an incident with the dementors so Headmaster Dumbledore and I have seen fit to include a new spell into the curriculum for those of you working towards your N.E.W.T.S. for defense against the dark arts. Today we will be learning a rather advanced piece of magic called the patronus charm.” Professor Lupin paces up and down the aisles with his usual slow, shuffling steps. “To do this we must first concentrate on your single most happy memory, and you must hold this memory in the very front of your mind, if you do not then the charm will surely not work. Now break into pairs and get to work. “

I look at Lucian and Terrence but Terrence has already turned to the Ravenclaw girl that sits beside us in class. 

“Looks like it’s you and me Rosier.”

“Oh lucky me.”

I begin searching my mind for the happiest memory I can think of. There are a few moments that clearly stand out; the day I got my first broom, when I first got sorted into Slytherin, our trip to visit family in Paris, but I think the best memory I have is the moment I found out I made the quidditch team. 

“So what are you thinking about,” I prompt Lucian by pointing my wand in his direction.

“Nothing special.” He’s quick with his reply, turning to flip through the textbook to the pages written on the board.

“I don’t think you get the point of the patronus charm there buddy.” 

He chuckles and shakes his head. “Worry about yourself there Thea, what are you thinking about then?”

“The day we all made the quidditch team of course.”

“I admit that was a pretty good day, you were so happy.”

“I think we all were happy.”

“Yeah but you especially. Quidditch means so much more to you than it does to me. I like to win and I like the attention that comes along with it, but you really just love the game.”  
With a clap of his hands Professor Lupin draws everyone’s attention to him. “Alright guys let's get started by practicing this incantation expecto patronum.”

Lucian and I take turns reciting the spell back and forth and eventually we are able to produce a faint silver mist from the tips of our wands. The class ends and I can’t help but feel disappointed that I couldn’t produce a corporeal patronus. I say goodbye to my friends as I head off to arithmancy. I sit in my usual spot beside Ravenclaw chaser Roger Davies. We generally sit in a comfortable silence at the back of the class feeling no reason to speak but also there’s an understood mutual respect built up from years playing against each other on the quidditch pitch. Today though when I walk in he makes a point of looking at me as I sit down. 

“So my sister told me what you did for her the other day and I just wanted to say I appreciate it. I know that the Slytherin house can be pretty cut throat so it was pretty cool of you to talk to her.”

“Hey man I didn’t even realize that was your sister, she seems like a sweet kid and we Slytherins look after our own no need to thank me.”

“Well I thought I’d let you know anyways, and just so you know our parents weren’t exactly thrilled about her ending up in Slytherin but they’re coming around to the idea, and I’m glad she ended up there it suits her and not all of you are terrible so I expect she’ll be ok.”  
I don’t really know what else to say to him so I just turn back to my work trying to avoid eye contact for the rest of the class. I guess that’s as nice of a compliment you can expect from someone in a different house towards a Slytherin.  
___________________________________________________________________

I walk in the Great Hall for supper rubbing my shoulder, my bag is getting heavy with all of the work I was assigned today. I see that students are mixed up amongst the tables and sigh, looks like it’s going to be one of those days. These suppers where all the students mix up at the tables always give me a headache. It usually involves Terrence bringing some girl over to sit with us who I have to pretend to care about for an hour before moving on with my life. Lo and behold I spot a Ravenclaw girl giggling with him and Lucian sitting across from them stabbing his fork into his potatoes with an intense vigor. I claim my spot beside Lucian and start to pile food onto my plate. I hear a high pitched “ahem” from behind me. Without turning around, I know who it is, the nasally tone of her voice tipped me off immediately. 

“Do you mind moving over Althea, I’m sure Flint would love it if you spent some time with him and I could talk to Lucian here about our upcoming paper,” Hestia huffs in my ear. 

“Yeah good luck with that Carrow, how about you march yourself down to sit with those first years down there. I bet not all of them have learned to hate you yet. Or better yet the Hufflepuff table I hear they’re nice to practically anyone but try not to let them see that pinched look on your face they might mistake you for a banshee and get scared off.”

Terrence stifles a laugh while Hestia gasps and stares at Lucian. He looks back and forth between the two of us before giving Hestia a shrug. She stomps her foot and storms off towards where her sister was sitting. 

“Damn Thea I haven’t seen you tear into someone like that in ages.”

“What can I say Terrence I’m having a bad day, and you can’t say she didn’t deserve it demanding I move from my spot, and hangout with Flint of all people.” There’s an offended “hey” from down the table where Flint is sitting but I ignore him and continue, “does anyone want to practice their patronus’ with me later tonight, I’m not going to sleep right until I get this spell down.”

“I have plans tonight sorry Thea,” Terrence says without looking away from the girl beside him. 

“I’ve got time, I’ll be there,” Lucian says stealing a fry from my plate.

“Perfect dueling room tonight 8 o’clock.”  
____________________________________________________________________

We spent the whole week in the dueling room trying and trying to perfect the patronus charm. Sometimes Terrence would join us casually lounging off to the side reading through the Daily Prophet, sometimes it was Theodore and Daphne just watching in admiration. On the fifth day of constant practice with nothing more than silver vapor to show for it I was sitting with my head resting against the cold stone walls when the room was suddenly illuminated by a Manx cat strutting around the room. I shoot up gasping, not believing how gracefully the feline shape is moving. 

“No way did you manage to do this before me. This is ridiculous. How did you do it Lucian?”

“Just keep trying you’ll get it eventually I know you will. Just think of the happiest thought you can.” 

“What do you think I’ve been doing?”

“Give it another try”

I stand across from Lucian eyeing the cat that is still slinking around the room and am more determined than ever to produce a patronus. I focus on the feeling of soaring through the clouds, the sun shining on my face and the complete and utter peace that comes along with it. I take a deep breath in and the words come from deep in my chest, “expecto patronum!”   
A magpie burst from the end of my wand fluttering above my head, wings and feathers spreading wide. It circles the room and I jump up shrieking with excitement. I run over to Lucian and jump into his arms, again he easily catches me and spins me around. I’m laughing and looking into his eyes, they’re a grey color that seems to change like clouds in the light. Then the door opens to reveal Niles striding into the room. Lucian sets me down quickly and I bounce over to Niles. 

“That’s right I have managed to produce a patronus, feel free to shower me with praise and admiration.” 

“Well would you look at that, you’re ahead of most of my class as well. This cat running around must be yours Lucian?” 

“Yes, it is, I never would have been able to get this spell right without Thea’s help though so really it’s her who should be commended.” From the corner of my eye I see Lucian’s Manx swatting gently at my magpie. 

“She sure is special hey?” Niles makes eye contact with me as he says this. 

“Damn right I am.” 

Lucian looks back and forth between the two of us and clears his throat, “well I have to get back to the dorm, I promised Pucey a game of wizard chess.” He collects his things and heads to the door giving us one last look before shutting it. 

“So what brings you down here?” I turn back to Niles and see that he has situated himself on one of the tables that line the room. 

“To my dueling room? I think I should be asking you that question, but honestly I was looking for you. Are you going to Hogsmeade tomorrow?”

“Yeah of course, I wouldn't miss it. I need to stop in and get a new pair of gloves for quidditch. Why?”

“I was thinking you should meet me at The Three Broomsticks for a butterbeer before you head back to the castle.”

“Sure I’ll see you there. Are Elias and Ella meeting us there?”

“I was actually thinking it would just be us.”

“Oh then definitely I will meet you there.”

“Can’t wait,” and with a smirk he walks back out towards the common room.


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Wish I did own the Harry Potter series but alas, I do not

I look for a few minutes in the mirror inspecting my appearance with more scrutiny than I usually would. Fixing my knitted green and silver sweater before tucking my long hair behind my ears. I’m finally satisfied and head to the common room. Terrence and Lucian are waiting there along with a few of the guys from the quidditch team and a couple other girls in our year. 

“Hey guys, looks like Thea finally decided to grace us with her presence. Looks like we can head out,” Terrence says upon my approach to the group. 

“She was spending so much time staring at herself in the mirror this morning, I’m surprised she made it at all.” I shot whichever of the Carrow twins, decided they needed to chime in a pointed glance but chose not to say anything. The group swarms out of the dungeon and onto the path towards the quiet village. I fall into step beside Terrence and am jostled to the side as he bumps his shoulder into me.

“So who are you worried about seeing today anyways, don’t tell me it’s me getting you all flustered.” 

“In your dreams Higgs, and not that I’m getting flustered over anyone but if you really must know I’m hanging out with Niles today.”

“I never figured you would be the type to chase after pretty boy Niles.”

“One I’m not chasing, he asked me, and two it’s really none of your business who I spend my time with. If I remember correctly you were the one who ran away disgusted after I kissed you in first year, so any rights you had to object to boys I hang out with you lost then.”

Terrence barks out a laugh, “I had forgotten you did that, in my defense I would have run away from any girl at that age, you just happened to be the first to assault me with their face.”

“Assault? Admit it, it was the best kiss of your life and you’ve never gotten over me,” I turn with my lips puckered towards him and lean in. I feel his one hand push my face away while the other grabs my waist and throws my body over his shoulder. 

“If only you weren’t so damn annoying I’d marry you this instant Rosier.” I push myself away from him giggling and then the two of us dash to catch up to everyone else.   
_____________________________________________________________________

Upon arrival at the peaceful town I drag my friends into Spintwitches. One wall was lined with merchandise for all the different teams in the British and Irish quidditch league as well as some from the world league. On display on the other wall is broom upon broom of every shape and size. Flying overhead was a couple of golden snitches playfully chasing each other across the room. It’s my favorite store in all of Hogsmeade. I stop at the back and grab a new pair of beater gloves, they are made of a stiff leather that smells somewhat earthy and it reminds me of the first time I tried to beat. It was my brother who first taught me on the grounds outside our house. I was fairly young and didn’t realize that the bludger is charmed to come back so I ended up with a broken wrist and Elias ended up being grounded for a month. 

After leaving Spintwitches we continued our tour of the shops stopping at Honeydukes where I stocked up on my supply of Drooble’s blowing gum and sugar quills. When we reached Zonko’s Lucian and Terrence perked up from their previously disinterested composure and disappeared into the crowded shop. I had never been a big fan of the busy shop, it was overwhelming and most of the jokes I thought were rather childish. In the corner I see Roger Davies with his girlfriend and nod at them in greeting. He gives me a pursed lipped smile in return and she gives a small wave before she drags him out towards Madam Pudifoots.   
Knowing no one else in the store I begin roaming the aisles when I see a dungbomb go flying by. I groan and turn the corner to see 

Terrence and Lucian flicking the small pellets towards other customers in the store. Seeing the two boys who are both rather tall hunched down behind a showcase for nose biting teacups flinging dungbombs and giggling like they’re twelve was definitely one of the funniest things I had seen in awhile. From the corner of my eye I see the shopkeeper storming over to where the boys were hiding and quickly duck out of the store. From outside the window I can see the shopkeeper yell at them as they barrel out of the door before they crash into me knocking us all onto the ground. 

“Oof you guys are heavier than you look,” I grumble from the bottom of the pile. They take their sweet time getting up before Lucian pulls me to my feet. 

“Hey Thea don’t you need to get to your date soon? Lucian and I can walk you there, maybe we’ll even join you guys for a butterbeer or two, what d'ya say to that?” Terrence says.

“I think I can make it there by myself actually,” I object.

“Don’t be absurd. We insist.” They each grab one of my arms and drag me off towards the Three Broomsticks. 

As we arrive at the crowded pub I scan the crowd for Niles while the boys steer us towards a table. I see him sitting in the corner with a few friends, he looks up and waves before standing up and walking towards the bar. 

“Well thanks for the escort boys but looks like I’ll have to catch up to you later.” I stride off towards where Niles is waiting. 

“Hey Thea, having a good day? Want a butterbeer?” Niles says when I reach him. 

“Pretty good day, and yeah I’ll take a butterbeer.” We settle onto a couple stools at the end of the bar and I take a sip of the cold, foamy, brew. We talked for a while about everything and nothing all at once. I ask him about his plans after graduation and I can see his whole face light up. 

“Well I’m hoping to eventually work for your dad in the department of the Improper Use of Magic.”

“Really? I always pegged you as someone who would want to be an auror.”

“I thought about it but those were young, idealistic dreams I used to have. The real way to have any influence in wizarding society is in politics, and the Improper Use of Magic department is going to be on the frontline of advancement in the years to come.”

“Wow you really put a lot of thought into this, I’m still holding out hope that a scout will see one of my games and whisk me away to the glamorous life of professional quidditch.”

“I know you could play professional quidditch, you’ve been the star of the team for the past few years now, and I’ve never seen you back down from a challenge before.” He leans in a little closer to me and I can detect the subtle smell of mint coming off of him. I’m inching forward when suddenly an empty mug smacks onto the counter between us. I follow the arm that is attached to it up to the familiar face of Terrence. He gives me a wink. I glare back at him.

“Hey guys don’t mind me Lucian and I just needed a refill.” I look over to see my other friends with his head held in his hands over at the table they had originally claimed, clearly trying to avoid eye contact. “Anyways Thea don’t you have detention with Snape right away?”

Crap, I had completely forgotten about my detention altogether. It was completely unfair, it wasn’t my fault that one of the Ravenclaw girls in my class was blocking the walkway in class, and it especially wasn’t my fault that when I pushed past her that she dumped her potion onto the Hufflepuff she had be gossiping with causing her to burst into boils. 

“Niles this has been great but I have to run, Snape will be furious if I’m late.”

“Uh yeah sure I’ll see you around then Thea.” I collect my stuff and rush out. With one final look over my shoulder I see Terrence walking back to the table with full mugs looking rather proud of himself and Niles glaring at the back of his head. I make the long trek back up to the castle hoping I make it back on time.`  
______________________________________________________________________


	7. Chapter 7

The chilly autumn air rustles through the trees and I pull my scarf tighter around my neck. Up ahead Terrence is walking with a fifth year from Hufflepuff, I had successfully managed to slow my walking pace enough to create some distance between us without them noticing. The girl seems nice enough and to her credit she has stuck around for longer than I’ve seen some of the girls Terrence brings around. He’s a great guy but he’s got the reputation of being a bit of a player so most girls are surprised to find he’s not, he just falls in love too quickly which scares them off. I look over towards the lake and see that the wind has caused small waves to lap up onto the shore, it looks peaceful so I turn to sit under a large oak tree that rests on the shoreline. There are students walking around the grounds in groups and far off in the distance I can see Hagrid harvesting giant pumpkins for the Halloween feast tomorrow night.   
I am practising a simple rejuvenation spell on a leaf, watching it turn from its burnt orange to a bright green and back again, when I see Lucian and the Carrow twins, walking along the shore. The girls are giggling and each has one of their arms linked with his. I watch as the twins wave goodbye and set off up the path towards the castle while Lucian continues along the shore towards the owlery. As he approaches I wave at him and stand to join him falling naturally into step beside him. 

“Got a letter to send as well?” Lucian asks, waving the parchment held in his hand. 

“Nah I just don’t feel like being cooped up in the castle today, I’d rather spend my time out in the fresh air while I can before winter hits,” I take a deep breath in and turn to Lucian smiling, “besides I feel like we haven’t hung out lately.”

Lucian shrugs, “you’ve been spending most of your time with your brother and Niles lately.” This isn’t entirely true but I have been spending more time than usual with them. After Terrence interrupted us at the Three Broomsticks Niles has been very attentive. He comes with me when I go to study in the library, eats with me at meals, and sits with me in the common room, but so far nothing as exciting as what might have happened at the Three Broomsticks. I keep waiting for him to make another move but there always seems to be an interruption of some kind before anything can happen.

As we reached the owlery the clouds that had been calmly drifting by before have darkened and started to collect in the sky. The first drops of rain hit my head as we duck into the door. Lucian calls his owl August down and ties the letter to the animal’s leg before she hops over to me pecking at my hand. She is a tawny owl so she always has a perpetual look of surprise that comes along with the markings on her feathers, she’s rather cute but I pull my hand away because her beak is starting to hurt. 

“Sorry Auggie I don’t have any treats for you today.” The owl lets out an exasperated hoot before taking off. I look out the window at the rolling clouds.  
  
“We better hurry before it gets too bad out there.” I jump as Lucian appears over my shoulder. He is leading the way down the steps when the storm picks up. He grabs my arm and pulls me into an alcove below the stairs that is hidden from the rain. I shake some of the rain that has started to collect in my hair. 

“So much for getting back before the storm got bad,” I say laughing. The alcove is small and I can feel the heat from Lucians body right behind me. Turning around I find there is only a few inches of space in between us. I watch a few drops of rain slowly roll down Lucians face and run along the sharp edge of his jaw where they fall onto his robes. Looking up to meet his eyes I give him a small smile. He takes a deep, ragged breath in and looks like he is about to say something but then stops. 

“What?” I prompt hoping to get rid of the uncomfortable tension that has filled the air. 

“Do you really not know?” His eyebrows are furrowed and he’s looking at me so intensely that I can feel my cheeks getting hot as I turn away. He reaches his hands to either side of my face and I can feel the cold still from the rain. He turns my head so that I am once again staring into his eyes. They look like they are filled with storming clouds that match the one we were hiding from outside. I stand there unable to look away but unsure of what answer he is looking for, so I remain silent. Moments pass that feel like hours with neither one of us saying anything, neither one of us moving from where we stand, as if we are in a trance. The spell is finally broken when Lucian pushes past me and out into the rain. 

“What did I do,” I shouted after him.

“Nothing, it's nothing honestly, I just need to get back to the castle. I’ll see you later Thea.”

I watch his back get further away and it’s not until he’s out of site that I notice I can still feel where his hand touched my cheek.   
______________________________________________________________________

I didn’t see Lucian for the rest of that day or the next one so I headed to the Halloween feast with Ella. Even after six years seeing all the floating jack-o-lanterns and spelled bats flying around, the ceiling brings a smile to my face. The Hogwarts ghosts are particularly active today as well, I can see the Grey Lady floating around the tables with the Bloody Baron trailing after her. Just as the feast is starting I see Terrence and Lucian walk in. I wave them over, moving down to create space beside Ella and I on the bench but Terrence just gives me a small wave in response and they sit with some of the guys from the quidditch team instead.  
Everyone seems to be in a great mood that lasts far into the night. In the Slytherin house there is a tradition that everyone gathers in the common room and some of the older students will conjure smoke that they enchant into shapes to tell ghost stories. I am sitting in the darkened common room watching Niles and Elias regale the crowd with the Tale of Three Brothers when Snape sweeps into the room. 

“Attention everyone. I need you to go collect you sleeping materials for tonight and return here within 10 minutes. You will be following your prefects up to the Great Hall. The notorious criminal Sirius Black appears to have entered the castle so for your safety all the students will be sleeping there tonight while the professors search the building. Please refrain from gossip and questions. I'm sure our headmaster will be giving a speech once everyone arrives.” 

Immediately the entire common room bursts into conversation. Kids start shouting questions and talking to one another, one kid starts to cry in the back. 

“Silence! As I said all your questions will be answered once we arrive in the Great Hall. Please collect your things now,” and then with just a swish of his robes he is gone. 

There is chaos that follows as everyone scrambles to get to their dorm rooms. When I reach my room I change into my pajamas and brush my teeth then head back to where everyone has gathered behind the flustered prefect Cassius Warrington. I’m towards the back of the long line of students and can’t help but think that we look like a slow moving snake winding its way up to the Great Hall. Once everyone had settled into their sleeping bags and Dumbledore gave a speech about not worrying and trying to sleep through the night I searched the far side of the room where the boys were laying in rows. I spot Lucian and Terrence sitting up against the wall and try to get their attention, they are either oblivious or purposely ignoring me. I sigh and roll over in my sleeping back pulling the blanket up over my head. 

I toss and turn all night unable to sleep. I’m worried about how weird Lucian has been acting, frustrated at the inconvenience that Sirius Black has been this year, and annoyed at the second year Ravenclaw beside me who will not stop crying.  
________________________________________________________________


	8. Chapter 8

Halloween night passed and Sirius Black was not found in the castle but it left everyone with a sense of unease. Things with Lucian had gotten better but again there was a sense of unease that we have started to tiptoe around. The jack-o-lanterns and bats give way to twelve-foot-tall trees decorated top to bottom with gold and silver. The ceiling of the Great Hall appears to pepper the tables below with a light fluffy snow. My family’s owl comes soaring in with all the others during mail time that morning and drops a dark cyan letter with a silver wax seal that I recognize showing my family crest. I crack open the blooming rose and see my mother's looping print, and skimming through the contents I see it is mainly about the Christmas soiree she is planning. For as long as I remember Christmas supper was spent with several of my parent’s closest friends and their families, each year with a different host. It looks like this year it's my family’s turn. My mother tells me I’m free to invite some of my friends whose parents work with father at the ministry. I wave the letter in front of Terrence and Lucian. 

“Dust off your dress robes boys looks like you’ve been cordially invited to Thornhill Manor for Christmas this year.”

“Oh wow I can’t wait to be the belle of the ball, or is it in bad taste to show up the hostess at her own party?” Terrence says through a mouthful of toast.

“Will you be needing an escort old chap?” Lucian falls to one knee beside Terrence and reaches a hand out towards him.

“But of course you scoundrel,” Terrence grabs Lucians hand and the two proceed to waltz around the table. 

“Ok you idiots sit back down; I promise it will be fun. Please come, it will be so boring without the two of you.” 

“We might be tempted to make an appearance, but only if you promise to do my homework for transfiguration for the rest of the month.”

“I think McGonagall might notice if you suddenly are writing the full two feet of parchment assigned Terrence, so how about you guys just agree to come because you love me.”

“We’ll be there Thea, would miss it,” Lucian says. I shoot him a grateful smile.   
___________________________________________________________________  
I stare at my open trunk on the floor of the dorm room and then to the pile of clothes on my bed. The train to take us back to Kings Cross Station is coming in a few hours so I begin tossing all the clothes I might need over the break in a crumpled mess into the case. I am leaning on the suitcase trying to force it closed when Elias bursts in.

“Left packing to the last minute again? Everyone is already downstairs ready to go.” With a wave of his wand the clothes in my suitcase fold up and it snaps closed. He moves towards my bed and lifts the case up from the ground. I follow him out to the common room and see Niles has his bags with Elias’. 

“Headed home for the break too Niles?” I ask.

“Actually he’s spending the break with us.” Elias chimes in from beside him.

“My parents are travelling over the break and I was hoping to do some work over the break that I won’t be able to if I travel with them, and I heard about the Christmas party and I couldn’t pass up a chance to see you in a dress.” I shake my head at him and we all grab our bags heading out to the carriages that will take us back to the train station. 

On the train ride home I fell asleep on Niles’ shoulder and didn’t wake up until he gently shook me awake as we pulled into Kings Cross. I look out the window and see my father waiting on the platform. He’s not an extremely tall man but the way he holds himself and the intensity in his stare make him seem more foreboding than he is. I notice he looks more tired than usual but when we walk up he shifts his stance and suddenly the look is gone. 

“Ready to go? I just need to make a quick stop at the Ministry before we head home.”

“I think I will just apparate home then. I have some letters that I need to send right away for a potential job next year. Are you going to come with Niles?” Elias says.

“Actually I’d love to come by the Ministry and see where you work Mr. Rosier if you don’t mind me tagging along.”

“Not at all lad, Thea are you coming?” I nod in response and with a wave of his wand my father used a banishing charm to send all of our luggage home. 

The Ministry of Magic is beautiful and a little scary. The dark stone that covers the walls and ceiling, the rows of fireplaces, and the darkened windows. I stop for a minute to look at the sunlight streaming in directly onto the golden fountain statue in the center of the central area. Niles stops beside me and looks up as well but he just stared straight faced for a second before turning away. 

My father’s office is uninviting when you first walk in, it is dark and everything seems to have a sharp edge. I sit in the large desk chair behind the desk and smile seeing a framed picture of my brother and I from the previous year sitting in the family’s library. Niles is wandering around the office picking up random objects and putting them back down. 

“So I heard from Elias that you’re interested in a position in the Improper Use of Magic department come next year Niles,” my father says as he slides some papers into his briefcase.

“Yes sir, I think it is one of the most underrated departments and the department with some of the most important work.”

“Well that’s laying on the flattery rather thick,” I can see my dad smile when his back is turned, “but I think you’ve got a good chance of getting a job here, I usually have a say in hiring.” 

“Thank you sir, I appreciate that. I am looking forward to hopefully working with you.”  
_____________________________________________________________________  
When we arrive home mother and Elias have already sat down to eat. We join them at the table and eat in silence, the only sounds are the soft clinking of cutlery on plates. After we are done eating, my parents retire to their room and I head to the conservatory, stopping in the kitchen on the way for a cup of tea. I am thankful for the magic charms that keep the room warm even in the winter as I sit at the small bench that is in the corner of the room. Sitting among the plants makes me wish I spent more time in the greenhouses at Hogwarts, I hated having to care for the plants in herbology but sitting amongst them is rather nice. 

I heard a small knock on the glass and looked up to see Niles ducking his head into the room.

“Fancy some company? Unless you’d rather be alone.”

“No please come sit,” I say waving him in. He takes his time walking over stopping to grab a chair that was along the wall across the room. He sets the chair down directly in front of me and sits so that his legs are right up against mine. 

“I’m glad I got the chance to talk to you, I feel like I haven’t had a second with you alone since the Three Broomsticks. It took me forever to find you. I had almost checked every room in the house before I finally thought to check here.”

“Yeah I suppose we haven’t, you’ve been quite busy with the dueling club and cozying up to my father,” he laughs as I say this and leans forwards towards me. 

“Have I ever told you that your eyes are beautiful, I feel like I could stare at them forever.” I blush and look down. He catches my chin in my hand and tilts my chin up towards him. “No really you are beautiful Althea and I don’t think anyone tells you that enough.”

“Why would I need anyone to tell me that? I do have a mirror, Niles.” I am trying to make light of the situation because I’m not really sure what his intentions are. His hand slides from my cheek down to my shoulder, then trailing down my arm before he takes my hand in his. 

“Really Althea, and you’re funny too, and smart. You’re utterly astonishing.” 

“And you are a sweet talker Niles, how many girls do you say this to?”

“Only you.”

“I believe that about as much as I believe that there is a secret torture chamber in Filch’s office.”

“Well that’s not something I would be surprised if it is true, but I’m telling the truth. I have always thought you were beautiful and this year you’ve really come into your own. Producing a patronus charm is no small feat and just shows how powerful you are.”

“Well I’ll admit you do know how to flatter a girl.” I’m getting increasingly distracted by Niles’ thumb slowly drawing circles on the back of my hand. I feel his other hand reach up to my face again and watch as his lips slowly move towards mine. I can feel his breath soft on my lips and my eyes drift closed when there is a bang from the other side of the room. Niles and I jump apart in surprise as Elias awkwardly sets up the chair he has knocked over. 

“Uhh sorry don’t mind the intrusion, um just go about your business. I was just heading to the yard to send an owl to Ella.”

“No we weren’t doing anything, I should head to bed anyways,” I say getting up from the bench, embarrassed that my brother had walked in as I was about to kiss his best friend. I rush off to my room and fall asleep that night with a smile on my face.


	9. Chapter 9

The house is bustling over the next few days as mother prepares for the party. Every room is decorated in silver and gold with candles everywhere. Niles keeps smiling at me when he thinks no one is looking but we have to find time to sneak off alone again because mother keeps me busy with party preparations. The morning of the event Terrence comes tumbling into the entrance hall through the floo network tracking soot everywhere. Mother berates him and proceeds to chase us out of the room. We steal some snacks from the kitchen and head upstairs, on the way to my room I throw his bags into the spare room that he will be sharing with Lucian tonight. The moment we reach my room Terrence throws himself onto my bed.

“Has your break been a living hell as well? My sister brought home her fiancé and he’s a complete sod. I don’t think I can put up with another conversation about exchange rates between wizarding currency without actually vomiting on his shoes. My sister has already threatened me twice because apparently I haven’t been nice enough to him, but he’s obviously not interested in people being nice to him if he’s agreed to marry Theresa.” I bark out a laugh trying to imagine Terrence being nice to his sister’s fiancé. His sister is a bit difficult to get along with. I don’t even want to imagine the kind of wizard that would propose to her. We spend the afternoon playing wizard chess and exploding snap until it is getting close to time to get ready for supper. 

“Have you talked to Lucian today? I thought he would be here by now,” I ask Terrence.

“Oh yeah he told me to tell you that he’s going to be running late, he’ll be here in time for supper though, he promised.”

“Oh I was hoping we would have some time to hangout without my mother breathing down my neck about mingling with party guests.”

“Yeah I wish he was here too, I don’t know how much longer I can pretend to want to hang out with you.” I shove him off my bed and the chess board goes toppling off after him. 

“You better be nicer to me, I control where you sit at supper tonight and I could move you from beside my cousin Lisette to my great Aunt Vinda.”

“That’s cold even for you Thea, you wouldn’t dare.”

“You know I would Higgs.” 

With that I shoo him out of my room so that I can start getting ready. My mother has hung a dress from my mirror for me to wear tonight. It’s a simple dress that reaches the floor and is covered in lace. It’s a dark cyan color that matches our family crest and coincidentally brings out the blue in my eyes so I’m quite pleased with her choice. After looking in the mirror to make sure I look presentable I head down the hall to the guest room where my friends are staying to see if Lucian has arrived yet. I knock on the door and here two people shuffling around in the room.

“I’m closing my eyes and coming in you guys better get decent fast,” I yell and enter the room. 

“You can open your eyes Thea. We’re both dressed.” I open my eyes and see Terrence in his dress robes with a toothbrush hanging out of his mouth standing in the door to the bathroom and Lucian standing over his suitcase that is in disarray. He straightens up, fiddling with the collar of his shirt and I notice it’s unbuttoned. I catch myself staring for a minute, quidditch really has done him well. 

“Thea? Earth to Thea? See something you like?” I glance up to where Lucian has frozen hands raised to his collar, he’s smirking. 

“No I was just thinking you don’t know the definition of the word dressed. Supper is about to start and you’re nowhere near ready.” I move towards him and snatch an emerald green bowtie from his bag. Once his shirt is buttoned up I reach the bow around his neck and quickly tie it up. We head to the stairs and both boys stand on either side of me taking my arm, escorting me down the steps. We take our seats at the table. I’m sitting in between Niles and Lucian and across from us is Terrence beside my cousin Lisette. Both of them look quite happy with this arrangement, I can’t say the same thing about the boys next to me. When we first went to sit down Niles gave Lucian a curt nod and in return Lucian grumbled a greeting. 

My mother is absolutely glowing, she is so comfortable and completely in her element that she seems to float around the room. My father on the other hand has stuck to the corners of the room talking mainly to his work associates. Elias and Niles are following after mother, travelling from person to person, laughter following in their wake. Besides sitting next to him at supper I had barely seen Niles all night. I was suddenly very thankful that Lucian and Terrence agreed to come. They have spent the night sneaking wine with me from the kitchen, and making fun of the stuffy ministry workers in the room. Out of the corner of my eye I see my parents having a heated discussion in the corner before my mother slams her cup onto the table beside her and storms off. 

“I better go see what that’s all about,” I say, excusing myself from my friends. I walk down the long hallways following the faint shouting voices of my parents until I reach the library. I pause outside the door and listen. 

“Audra, you’re drunk and making a spectacle out of yourself. I think it’s time for you to go to bed before you embarrass yourself anymore.”

“Me an embarrassment? I’m not the one who has been hiding in the corner all night like a child afraid of his own shadow.”

“Not hiding, just trying to ignore your foolish attempt to throw yourself all over Rufus Scrimgeour. Are you that unhappy that you mean to make a fool of me in my own home? What more could you want from me? I have given you a home, children, my whole heart, and you take it and toss it on the ground as if it is worthless. I always knew I wasn’t your first choice but I figured you might grow to love me, especially after all these years.”

“You knew what this was when I agreed to marry you. I was young and blinded by my longing for status and you happened to be the first decent prospect to come along, but now I’ve grown up and realized what I truly want in life. Is it too much to want to be happy, to be free from this loveless marriage?”

“I wonder if you were always this cold and heartless and I was too blinded by my love for you to see it before now or if the years you’ve spent with me have turned you into this stone woman I see before me. I come from a long line of unhappy, dark wizards and all I ever wanted was to have a loving family. I see now that this is too much for me to ask for. I don’t know who we must have angered in another life to be cursed with this one.”

I watch as my mother slowly turns away from my father, her dress swishing the floor beneath her. I wait until the sharp clicking of her heels fades into the distance before looking again at my father. He is slumped in a chair far across the room, head in hands, breathing slowly and deeply. I think about going to comfort him, about turning and going after my mother to comfort her, but I don’t know what I would do so instead I run back down the hallway, past the great room with our guests and out to the conservatory.

When I reach the darkened room I find I am unable to cry instead sitting on the stone floor staring straight at the frost covered windows trying not to think about what I just overheard. A few minutes’ pass and I hear the soft steps of someone approaching behind me but I don’t turn to see who it is. 

“Are you alright? I saw you pass by in the hallway and you looked upset. I knew I’d find you here, you always come here when you need to think.” It’s Lucian, he’s speaking in a soft, comforting voice.

“Do you think love is real?”

“Damn Thea, I don’t know. I’d like to think it is. Why do you ask?”

“Do you believe everyone deserves love?”

“Of course I do. Why are you bringing this up? What happened?”

“My father believes his family is cursed to be unloved and unhappy because of its history with dark magic. I think I’ve known for a while but just didn’t want to admit I knew it but my parents hate each other. They’ve never been happy. I think I’m bound to end up just like them. In a big house with another person but still feeling like I’m completely alone.” Lucian sits down next to me and I feel the weight of his robe over my shoulders. 

“Have you ever heard the muggle story about Eurydice and Orpheus? Basically it’s about this guy whose wife died on their wedding day and he was so upset that he travelled to the underworld and confronted the god of the underworld and begged for the love of his life to return to him. The god agreed but only under one condition, Orpheus had to walk all the way up to the land of the living without looking back at Eurydice. Only when they were both back above ground would they finally be together again.”

“How do you know muggle stories?”

“My grandmother’s sister was a squib. The whole family kept it secret. She was basically disowned but my grandmother used to visit her and she learned quite a bit about muggles. Now that I’m thinking about the story I think he turn back beforehand and she was banished to the underworld again so maybe wasn't the best story to tell and that the intended moral is different than I thought, but whatever. That guy loved that girl so much that they wrote stories about it that lasted thousands of years. I don’t think there’d be so many stories about love if it wasn’t real, and if it’s real then everyone deserves it, especially you Thea.” 

Lucian walks me up to my room and waits outside while I change into my pajamas. “Do you need anything else?” he asks when I finally opened my door again.

“Will you stay with me tonight? I don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course I will,” he says as he curls up beside me. I snuggle into his chest just like I used to when we were little and let his slow, even breaths lull me to sleep.  
__________________________________________________________________________


	10. Chapter 10

My house is uncomfortable to be in after that night so I spend the remainder of my break with Terrence’s family under the pretense of wanting to help with wedding preparations. His sister may be a brat but my parents love her so they readily agree. Terrence and I spend a lot of time out of the house, mainly shopping around Diagon Alley, but even so I’m more than ready to head back to Hogwarts when the time comes. 

I start avoiding Elias, I’m not sure if he knows what happened with our parents so I decide I’m not going to be the one to tell him. I’m not even sure I know what I would say, I haven’t fully processed it myself. At practice I can’t concentrate on anything. It gets so bad that at one point I almost get a bludger to the head but luckily Lucian managed to swoop in and hit it out of the way before I got knocked off my broom. When Flint finally called for practice to be over I flew down to the change rooms feeling like every muscle in my body was on fire. I spend longer than I usually do in the shower letting the hot water run over my skin until I feel like everyone else must have already left to head back up to the castle, glancing around the change room I see I was right. I sit and pack up my bag taking my time, I want to make sure I’m not going to run into anyone on my way to my room. With a final deep breath in I toss my bag over my shoulder and I start back up the winding path only to see Lucian waiting at the exit from the pitch. I sigh, he always seems to know when I’m in a bad mood.

“So was Flint’s speech so bad you decided to finally call it quits and let a bludger take you out? I always figured you’d go out in a blaze of glory, maybe a potions class gone wrong that shuts down the school for a year, something cool like that.”

“I’ll keep that in mind, but no I just can’t concentrate today. Wasn’t really feeling up to practicing.” 

He grabs my bag from me and hoists it onto his back beside his own. 

“How about you and me hangout tonight to take your mind off of things?”

“I don’t know Lucian, I was planning on heading to my room, shutting the curtains around my bed, and not speaking to anyone for the rest of the night.”

“It will be fun. I have an idea that will make you feel better. I promise.”

I think for a minute and then reluctantly agree. I know if I don’t say yes he’ll keep pestering me. We get to the common room and Lucian throws our bags into his dorm and grabs me by the arm dragging me towards the seventh floor. We stop outside a tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy and Lucian motions for me to stop. I watch as he paces back and forth a few times, eyebrows furrowed. I’m starting to think he’s crazy when a door starts to materialize on the wall in front of him. He gives me a smug smile and holds open the door for me to enter. Walking in I see a big stone hearth, a long wooden table, and all kinds of kitchen supplies. I had heard of the room of requirement before but I had always assumed it was just a fable.

“What’s happening here? Don’t tell me you plan on cooking me up like that witch in the muggle story.”

“Nope, we are going to cook some treacle tart.” He throws his arms open as if to say ta-da. I raise my eyebrows at him. 

“I don’t know how to tell you this but it’s a pretty old stereotype that women belong in the kitchen. I have no idea how to cook.”

“Damn Thea I can’t believe you think so little of me. No, I'm going to cook for you, I learned how to do it this summer. My grandmother taught me, but only this one thing so I hope that’s alright with you.”

“Wow Lucian, what a weird thing to know how to do. Who needs to know how to cook when you have house elves and magic?”

“My grandmother is old fashioned, what can I say, and you won’t think it’s so weird after we’re done.”

He spends the next hour cooking, as I watch from the table. The whole time that he’s working he talks, telling me about the French ministry building because he knows I’m interested in architecture but I’m only half paying attention. For the first time in weeks I can finally feel my head clearing as I watch him work. 

“And voila how does it taste?” he asks, setting down a plate in front of me. 

“I have to admit this is pretty good, although I think you added too much lemon juice. It’s a little overpowering.”

“Ah crap I always do that. I love lemon but I need to remember that more isn’t always better.”

“Honestly I don’t mind it the more I eat it. Maybe I should learn to cook.”

“I can teach you this summer, you could come spend some time at my house like you used to when we were little.”

“I’ll take you up on that. I imagine any time spent out of the house this summer will be welcome.”   
__________________________________________________________________

The next day I find myself holed up in the library trying to catch up on some work that I had let slip over the past couple weeks. Broadmoor is lounging on the table in front of me, sprawled out across the papers on the table. We are staring at each other stuck in a sort of stand-off because I can’t figure out how to transfigure him into a rabbit using the lapifors spell. I sit down and rest my head on the desk, officially discouraged. Broadmoor stands up and comes to sit beside my head meowing. I reach up and set my hand on his head as he begins to purr. 

“Taking a nap in the library? That’s a new one.” I raise my head and see Niles moving to sit across from me at the table I have taken over. 

“No I’m just mentally preparing for the lecture I’m going to get when I drop transfiguration. I have been struggling with this spell for days and can’t seem to get it right. The best I’ve managed to do is transfigure rabbit ears onto Broadmoor.” 

“How about I help you out. It took me a while to figure this spell out as well.”

“No Niles I’m sure you’ve got your own work to be doing, I’ll get it eventually, don’t feel like you have to help me.”

“I want to help you though, here let's head to the transfiguration room it might put you in a better mind space to change up where you’re working.” I pack up my things and we head down the stairs to the empty classroom. I set Broadmoor down and he leaps onto a nearby desk, once again sprawling out. 

“Ok let's see what you’ve got,” Niles says, gesturing to my cat. I stare down the fluffy blob lying next to me and concentrate on the incantation. Once again I watch as his ears elongate and turn to a white color before shrinking back down to their regular shape. 

“Here you’re moving your wand wrong, let me help,” Niles says as he moves behind me, reaching around to take my hand in his. “Try again.”

I feel his breath on my neck as his hand moves with mine. I watch as Broadmoor shifts in front of me into a large, white rabbit.

“There, see? Nothing to it, I knew you could get it. Try to transfigure him back.” It takes me a couple tries but eventually I can successfully transfigure Broadmoor into a rabbit and back again without any problems. 

“You know we never got the chance to talk after your brother interrupted us that night. You ran away to your friend’s house after the party.”

“Yeah I just had to help with some wedding arrangements sorry about that.”

“And since we’ve been back you’ve been pretty distant. Was it something I did?”

“No not at all I just got behind on homework pretty quickly so I’ve been trying to catch up.” I don’t know why but I don’t really want to get into why I’ve been distracted with Niles. 

“Well I’m glad I finally got a second alone with you, because there was something I wanted to do.” Niles takes a step towards me, slowly, carefully. He closes the space between us and I can feel his body pressing up against mine. He looks taller when he’s standing this close, and I can tell he’s looking down at me but I don’t want to look up just yet. I want to relish in this feeling that I’ve waited for for so long just a moment more. his hand catches a strand of hair that has fallen into my face and tucks it behind my ear. His hands tilt my chin up to meet his. We make eye contact and his eyes are golden and beautiful as always. I take a deep breath in as he begins to move his face down towards mine.

The moment seems to stretch forever before our lips finally meet. It was slow and sweet, and I leaned into him as I felt his hands spread across my back pulling me close. His lips pull away from mine and he pauses for a second looking me in the eyes. When the second passes his mouth comes swooping back down to cover mine with more passion this time. My head gets fuzzy and I can feel my feet start to lift from the ground as Niles lifts me up. We stumble backwards and bump into a desk which jostles us out of the kiss. I can feel his chest moving slightly against mine as he laughs along with me. 

“So was that everything you expected?” Niles asked, setting me down.

“Everything I expected? You think pretty highly of yourself hey?” I reply, still chuckling.

“Indeed I do, but yes I must admit that was everything I hoped it would be.” I blush and fiddle with my hair that has gotten a little disheveled. “But anyways we should probably head back to the common room. It's getting pretty late. We don’t want to be caught out after hours,” Niles continues.  
We walk back down to the dungeon and Niles’ shoulder bumps up against mine a few times during the walk but I’m unsure what to do with my hands. When we finally reach my room we pause and Niles gives me a kiss on the cheek.

“I’ll see you tomorrow Thea?” he asks?

“You can count on it,” I reply before he continues down the hallway towards his room.  
___________________________________________________________________


End file.
